New Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus leak shows two phones side by side

Want to see what Samsung’s next flagships might look like?

Slash Leaks has been showing off the upcoming devices from all angles with various image leaks. It’s now surfaced yet another image that puts the two devices side by side. Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S8 is expected to come in two sizes: one with a 5.7-inch display, and another with a 6.2-inch S8+. It’s also thought that Samsung will ditch its usual “edge” branding and that both models will come with curved edges.

• Amazing Samsung Galaxy S8 hands-on pics available already
• Samsung Galaxy S8 vs Galaxy S7: What’s the rumoured difference?
• Samsung Galaxy S8 launch: When is Galaxy Unpacked 2017 and can you watch it online?

This new image, courtesy of user Dimitri12 on Slash Leaks, does indeed seem to confirm the curved panel on both devices. And without other objects to compare, both models appear massive in the image. That’s probably not helped by their thin bezels and longer 18:9 aspect ratio. Keep in mind the regular-sized Galaxy S8 is rumored to be about the same size as the S7, which only had a 5.1-inch display.

We’ll know more soon, as Samsung will unveil its Galaxy S8 flagship smartphones – called Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus – during a special Unpacked event in New York City on 29 March. Check out Pocket-lint’s rumour round-up for what else the phones might feature.

Slash Leaks

Looney Tunes and other classic cartoons get a streaming service

Your favorite Saturday morning cartoons are going digital. Turner and Warner Bros. are teaming up for a new standalone video subscription service called Boomerang. It’ll offer over 5,000 titles from the Hanna-Barbera, Looney Tunes and MGM animation libraries when it launches this spring.

Boomerang launched in 2000 as a digital TV channel, but this is the first time it’s offering classic franchises like Scooby-Doo, Tom & Jerry, The Jetsons and The Flintstones on a streaming platform. It will also stream exclusive new episodes of Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry, along with brand-new original series like a Wizard of Oz spinoff and a remake of the 1968 show Wacky Races.

Both Turner and Warner Bros. are owned by Time Warner, which has a firm foothold in the direct-to-consumer streaming market. It’s a co-owner of Hulu and it partnered with the Criterion Collection to launch Filmstruck, a Netflix-style service for classic movies.

Boomerang will be available ad-free on the web, iOS and Android devices for $4.99 per month or $39.99 annually. Turner and Warner Bros. plan to expand to several more platforms after launch, including Amazon, Roku and Apple TV.

Source: Time Warner

Mozilla is bringing modern video games to your browser

Modern 3D video games require a ton of processing power to look good and respond to player input quickly. That’s why most of the web-based games you see today are at best stripped down versions of their PC or console counterparts. The team behind the Firefox web browser would like to see that change, however. Mozilla released a version of the browser that includes WebAssembly – a new technology that enables high-resource apps like games, computer-aided design, video and image editing and scientific visualization to run in a browser almost as fast as they do on your local computer. It will also speed up existing web apps that use JavaScript.

With WebAssembly, developers will be able to code a game or app and know it will run in the same way on any supported browser, regardless of platform. Consumers get the convenience of using a web browser to run any WebAssembly-enabled game or app, regardless of platform or operating system.

WebAssembly is a low-level programming language that allows other, higher-level computer languages like C or C++ to run in a web browser. WebAssembly apps are parsed and compiled before they even hit your browser, which means that much of the heavy lifting has already been done. By comparison, a javascript app often pulls a bunch of code into the browser, then figures out how best to run it on your system, slowing the whole process down. Google and Microsoft’s browsers will support WebAssembly, though Firefox is the first browser to include the technology, thanks to Mozilla’s lead role in the research.

As WebAssembly matures, the Mozilla team hopes to bring it to mobile, as well. Imagine playing the modern version of Doom or running a CAD app on your Mac or PC, then loading it up onto your smartphone as you head out on your morning commute. All of this without plugins or the need to sacrifice speed for the convenience of the web.

The Firefox beta, available today for Mac, PC and Linux, also includes improvements to Wi-Fi portal detection and better warnings for insecure logins.

Source: Mozilla, Medium

Consumer Reports now rates product privacy and security

When you read a review for a product, you’re usually looking for tangible qualities like battery life and performance. As we’ve seen lately, though, the company’s respect for your data matters — a seemingly perfect gift may turn out to be a privacy nightmare. And Consumer Reports, at least, wants to do something about it. The publication has announced that it will start rating products’ privacy and security, and it’s working with several partners to create a standard by which products are judged. If a baby monitor or smart TV plays fast and loose with security, you’ll know.

Just what is the standard, though? From a cursory glimpse, the privacy standard mostly amounts to a few logical rules. An internet-connected device should ask you to sign in and transmit encrypted data, for example. Companies should also be clear about how they share your data, delete that info on request and behave in an ethical manner (say, not compromising for the sake of advertisers or authoritarian governments). And security? For the most part, it amounts to asking the Cyber Independent Testing Lab to use automated testing tools to look for commonly accepted security practices. CR may also ask experts to hack devices, but it says this is “impractical” for reviewing many products.

The company stresses that this is a “first draft” of its takes on privacy and security, and that it hopes outsiders will help improve its policies. From an initial glance, it’s setting expectations accordingly. These methods definitely won’t guarantee that a product is airtight, as automated checks and basic precautions can’t account for every possible vulnerability or dodgy privacy practice. The biggest concern may be getting companies to treat these ratings as baselines, rather than as gold standards. The whole point is to have manufacturers thinking about privacy and security when they design a product, not to pat them on the back for accomplishing the bare minimum.

Source: Consumer Reports

Finding the dog pictures you want on Flickr just got easier

Flickr is finally catching up to the likes of Google Photos and Google Search. Now when you check out Yahoo’s photo sharing site you can find all manner of visually similar pictures just by clicking the “…” button on an image. From there, you should find relevant and, as the name suggests, similar photos to what you had in mind. Yahoo explains that this uses computer vision to achieve its results. There’s a lot in that post to digest, but the key takeaway is that with time, it’ll get better at delivering the bloodhound photos you’re craving. And if you want to try using Yahoo’s Locally Optimized Product Quantization for your own sorting techniques, it’s open source. Get crackin’!

Via: Petapixel

Source: Yahoo (Tumblr) (1), (2), GitHub

‘No Man’s Sky’ teases a new way to roam your home planet

Exploring your home planet in No Man’s Sky is about to get easier. Hello Games has announced it’s adding a new vehicle to the space sim in its upcoming “Path Finder” update.

Fans have speculated about whether or not the game will get a ground vehicle since last November, when a Reddit user found files containing 3D models, icons and textures. There was even a folder conspicuously called “buggy.”

Path Finder is No Man’s Sky’s second major content patch. Its first update, Foundation, came out in November and added base building, freighters, and farming. Hello Games said it was well-received by the community.

“Shortly after we launched the Foundation Update, we released a number of patches to address issues reported by players before beginning work on the Path Finder update,” it said in a blog post. “We were surprised and excited by the response to Foundation, and we have been listening carefully to community feedback since then. To those of you who have spent time sharing feedback, whether positive or negative, we are listening. This is the next step in our journey. It shows the path forward.”

Hello Games has been trying to win back disappointed fans since No Man’s Sky’s launch. Many felt the game failed to live up to its hype, as this YouTube video hilariously demonstrates. The UK-based Advertising Standards Authority even investigated whether or not its marketing was misleading (spoiler: it wasn’t).

The Path Finder update is coming out later this week, but Hello Games hasn’t released more information on what changes it’ll bring. Players will just have to wait and read the detailed patch notes when it goes live.

Via: GamesRadar

Source: Hello Games

AT&T’s New DirecTV Now Loyalty Promo Includes Free HBO for 12 Months or $5 Off for 6 Months

AT&T today announced a new loyalty reward for its DirecTV Now subscribers, offering free HBO for 12 months or $5 off for six months.

All existing customers with active DirecTV Now accounts that were created before March 6, 2017 can claim the loyalty reward. Customers with the “Go Big” and “Gotta Have It” plans will get 12 months of free HBO, while customers with the “Live a Little” and “Just Right” plans will get the $5 off reward.

Customers eligible for the HBO reward will be able to use their DirecTV Now login information to access HBOGo, and the HBO subscription will be listed in their Payment History as a $0 charge. Those who already have an HBO subscription will be automatically credited during the 12-month duration of the promotion.

Because the HBO add-on is priced at $5 per month, customers with the smaller plans can use their $5 credit to get free HBO access for six months.

DirecTV Now subscribers are receiving emails about the promotion starting this afternoon.

You’re getting HBO included with your existing package through March 7, 2018. You literally don’t need to do a single thing other than enjoy all of HBO with unlimited access to the most entertaining movies, addictive series, family favorites and more.

Why now? Why you?

Simply put, we want to thank you for being one of our most valuable customers and coming on this unprecedented journey with us. We’re dedicated to making DIRECTV NOW the best streaming entertainment product in the industry, and because of you, we’re on our way. So go on, keep enjoying the huge library of the best entertainment with unlimited access to all of HBO–anytime, anywhere. Want more deets? Check out our FAQ.”

HBO access will be granted automatically to eligible accounts, but it may take a few hours for accounts to be updated.

Introduced in November of 2016, DirecTV Now is AT&T’s DirecTV-branded streaming television service, which includes various channel bundles at prices ranging from $35 to $70.

The cheapest “Live a Little” $35 per month plan offers 60+ channels, while the biggest “Gotta Have It” package, priced at $70 per month, offers 120+ channels.

Tags: AT&T, DirecTV Now
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FCC chairman Ajit Pai nominated for another term

President Donald Trump has officially nominated current FCC Chairman and net neutrality opponent Ajit Pai for another five-year term on the commission, Axios reported on Tuesday. Pai’s first term officially ended on July 1, 2016, but FCC commissioners are allowed to continue working for the agency for up to a year, which allowed Pai to assume the chairman role after Tom Wheeler stepped down in January.

Officially, Pai will need to be confirmed again by the Senate, but the timing of Trump’s renomination coincides with Pai’s appearance before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday. Assuming he sails through his confirmation hearing, Pai’s new five year term will technically begin when his last one expired, meaning he could stay on as chairman until at least 2021.

In addition to Pai’s seat, President Trump will be filling two other spots on the FCC — according to commission rules, one seat is designated for a Republican and the other must go to a different party member. As Axios also notes, free-market scholar Rosalyn Layton and Indiana State Senator Brandt Hershman have been mentioned as possible Republican commissioners. Obama nominee and current commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel is expected to stay in the Dem’s seat.

Source: Axios

Nintendo wins a key case against a 3DS modchip seller

Nintendo is no stranger to cracking down on companies that sell tools enabling pirated games on its consoles. However, its latest victory might be more important than most. The company has won a copyright case in Canada that accused Go Cyber Shopping (GCS) and its founder, Jeramie King, of illegally selling 3DS flashcarts, modchips and other piracy-oriented tools. While Nintendo would likely be happy enough with that triumph, it notes that this is the first case “of its kind” to test the Canadian Copyright Act’s anti-circumvention measures — think of it as a rough parallel to aspects of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in the US.

As Canadian legal expert Michael Geist notes, the court rejected GCS’ claims that support for homebrew games made the sales acceptable. There’s a legal way to write games for the 3DS, according to the decision, and the focus on bootleg material easily overwhelmed any homebrew uses. The law allows circumvention for the sake of interoperability, but that clearly wasn’t the case here. King even “boasted” about his activity, according to Nintendo.

GCS will have to not only pay $12.76 million Canadian (about $9.5 million US) in damages as a result of the verdict, but issue a formal apology on its website.

The case serves as an example of both the benefits and pitfalls of strict anti-circumvention laws, regardless of where they’re instituted. Canada’s laws helped shut down an outfit that was largely profiting from piracy, but Geist warns that there’s a potential for this law to be abused or inadvertently stifle progress. Good copyright law, he argues, has to give reasonably broad exceptions for fair use so that companies can’t exploit the law to shut down competition. Nintendo is above-board here, but that won’t necessarily be true in the future.

Source: BusinessWire

ZTE agrees to $892 million settlement for selling U.S.-made components to Iran

Why it matters to you

ZTE’s settlement has dealt a sizable financial blow to the company, and may affect its output as well as the companies from which it sources components for upcoming devices.

ZTE has agreed to settle with the United States government to the tune of $892 million for violating laws that prohibit the sale of American technology to Iran, officials announced Tuesday. According to the U.S. Justice Department, the Chinese mobile giant shipped $32 million worth of equipment that incorporated prohibited components to the country between 2010 and 2016 without authorization, and lied to investigators when it asserted that it had stopped the dealings.

In addition to the unprecedented fine, ZTE will also be subject to a seven-year, $300 million suspended penalty, due immediately should the company commit any further wrongdoing. ZTE has also agreed to ongoing, routine monitoring and auditing, and will remain on a list of companies U.S. suppliers are forbidden from doing business with without government approval. The company was initially placed on that list in March 2016, but can be removed in time if it fully cooperates, according to Reuters.

More: Commerce Department ban on Qualcomm, Intel, and others from supplying ZTE has been lifted

“With this action, we are putting the world on notice: Improper trade games are over with,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross in a statement. “Those who flout our economic sanctions, export control laws, and any other trade regimes, will not go unpunished.”

The Shenzhen-based firm, the fourth-largest phone vendor in the U.S. behind Apple, Samsung, and LG, reached the settlement with the Departments of Justice, Commerce, and Treasury. ZTE will plead guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully export, obstruction of justice, and making false statements to federal investigators, officials say. The announcement marks the end of a years-long saga for the embattled company, which receives reportedly a third of its components from American entities, including Qualcomm, Intel, and Microsoft.

“ZTE acknowledges the mistakes it made, takes responsibility for them and remains committed to positive change in the company,” said ZTE Chairman and CEO Zhao Xianming, who was promoted to the leadership positions in April 2016 with a promise to tighten the company’s export control. “We have learned many lessons from this experience and will continue on our path of becoming a model for export compliance and management excellence,” the statement reads.

To that end, ZTE’s new Chief Export Compliance Officer, U.S.-based lawyer Matt Bell, added that the company is building a “global team” of compliance professionals, restructuring its legal department, and instituting new policies, training, and automated tools to keep current with ever-changing regulations.

The terms of the settlement are still awaiting court approval. Of the $892 million total, $101 million will be paid to the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, representing the office’s largest settlement in history with a non-financial firm, according to Reuters.